Zooming into the Plenary Council

People from across the Archdiocese will connect face-to-face virtually as they prepare for the first Assembly of the Plenary Council to be held since the second Vatican Council.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse has encouraged people to gather via Zoom in their Deaneries next month to reflect on the recently published document of the Plenary Council, ‘Continuing the Journey’.

“Given the bushfires, floods and COVID-19 crisis in our own Archdiocese over the last couple of years, it is important for us to refocus and look towards the plenary council,” he said.

“It is imperative that people participating in these meetings have read the document carefully.”

The document draws heavily on the voices heard during the ‘Listening and Dialogue’ and ‘Listening and Discernment’ phases of the Plenary Council.

“The Zoom meetings are an important opportunity for the Archbishop to gauge the feeling and understanding of those with an interest in the plenary,” Dean of the Southern Deanery Fr Richard Thompson said.

“The ‘Continuing the Journey’ document represents the voices of over 220,000 Australian Catholics and allows us to see where the Holy Spirit is, or is not, currently leading our Church,” he said.

Archbishop Prowse, Fr Tony Percy, Monsignor John Woods, Brigid Cooney and Professor John Warhurst have been appointed as Archdiocesan members of the plenary.

The Deanery Zoom meeting details are:

• Eastern Deanery – 10am Tuesday, 4 May 2021
• Southern Deanery – 1pm Friday, 14 May 2021
• Western Deanery – 12pm Tuesday, 25 May 2021
• Northern Deanery – 5pm Friday, 28 May 2021

To find out what Deanery you are in and to register, visit https://cgcatholic.org.au/plenary/

You can read Continuing the Journey: Working Document (Instrumentum Laboris) at

https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/instrumentum-laboris/

The first Assembly of the Plenary Council will take place via a multi-modal format from 3 to 10 October this year. The Second Assembly will take place in Sydney from 4 to 9 July 2022.

More information: https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/